Strategic Partnership and Green Growth Alliance

Korea and Denmark both have ambitious national plans for a transition to greener and more energy efficient economies. During then President of Korea, Lee Myung-bak's State Visit to Denmark 11-12 May 2011, a Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the two countries was established. A part of this partnership is the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance. Since then, another six meetings have been held in the Green Growth Alliance.

With the alliance Korea and Denmark decided to join efforts in promoting the political, commercial and technological developments required for a paradigm shift towards low-carbon green growth.

According to then Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the two countries very early understood both the challenges following climate change and the economic potential in fostering green growth. Therefore Korea is a ‘perfect match’ for Denmark, he said.

”Denmark was a ‘first mover’ on green growth and we have made our country a real life example of how to create economic growth without using more energy. Korea is a ‘fast mover’ on green growth. One thing that we have both understood is that ‘first movers’ and ‘fast movers’ alike cannot afford to rest on their laurels in the race to become the winners of tomorrow’s green economy”, former Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said at the launch of the alliance.

In May 2012, during the official visit to Korea by T.R.H. the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark, the second meeting in the Green Growth Alliance took place in Seoul.

H.R.H. Crown Prince Frederik, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, the Danish Ministers for Science, Innovation and Higher Education; Business and Growth; Trade and Investment and the Korean Minister for Education, Science and Technology and the Vice-Ministers of Knowledge Economy; Foreign Affairs and Trade, more than 90 top-executives from leading Danish and Korean green companies, presidents of Danish and Korean research institutions and senior officials participated in the discussion on future cooperation on green business and green research & development. Cooperation on energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrical and fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure, green shipping, smart grids and storage of energy, water resource management and climate change research were among the topics discussed at the meeting. Also, 14 cooperation agreements were signed between the two governments, companies and universities from Korea and Denmark.

In October 2013, during the official visit to Denmark by the Prime Minister of Korea, Chung Hongwon, the third meeting in the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance took place. An enclosed joint press statement was released following the bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and the Prime Minister of Korea, Chung Hongwon and their participation in the third meeting of the Green Growth Alliance.

In March 2014, during the visit to Korea by the Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, Mogens Jensen, the fourth meeting in the Green Growth Alliance took place. The meeting focused on the themes of energy-efficiency, renewable energy and green solutions for the marine and offshore industry as a direct follow-up to the third meeting of the alliance. At the closing of the meeting the Danish Minister and the Korean 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Tae-yul, were present for the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation agreements.

You can read more about the content of the partnership and the Green Growth Alliance in the PDF-files at the bottom of this page.